Today is the Jayanti of Madame Bhikaji Cama, who designed one of our early national flags, unfurled it on foreign soil, revolutionary, close associate of Veer Savarkar, one of the most courageous Indian women.
Bhikaji Cama was born on September 24, 1861 into a well to do, Paris family in Mumbai. Her father Sorabji Patel, was one of the city's leading merchants, also an educationist. She was drawn into the nationalist movement from a very early age.
At the age of 24, Bhikaji Cama married Rustomji, a well known lawyer in Mumbai's elite circle. However her husband's pro British, Anglophile sympathies, clashed with her own nationalist feelings, and their marriage was quite a troubled, unhappy one.
#TodayInHistory The Indian Army captures the town of Dograi, comming within striking range of Lahore, during the 1965 War, and had it not been for an impending ceasefire, would have captured the city too. This however was a follow up to the Battle of Burki.
While the Battle of Asal Uttar is well known during the 1965 War, another equally significant one is the Battle of Burki. where the Indian Army advance very close to Lahore, almost to the verge of capturing it. It was once again a decisive victory.
Burki is a small village, quite close to Lahore, connected to it by the Ichogil canal. This canal was actually built by residents of the city, to protect themselves from future Indian aggressions, and goes all the way up to the Sutlej river. Also called the BRB Canal.
“The vultures have resigned, I don’t know what to do”
The Nizam to K.M.Munshi when surrendering. Today marks the day when Hyderabad State became part of the Indian Union. Operation Polo ensured that Hyderabad wud not be another Kashmir. #HyderabadLiberationDay
“The vultures have resigned, I don’t know what to do”
When the richest man in the world, the Nizam surrendered helplessly to a commoner K.M.Munshi. His army routed, all the people around him had either fled or surrendered themselves, leaving him alone. #HyderabadLiberationDay
The Nizam after Operation Polo, quite often positioned himself as a helpless victim of the Razakars, a quasi military organization, founded by Qasim Rizvi, that wanted to integrate Hyderabad with Pakistan, and run it as per the Sharia. #HyderabadLiberationDay
Happy #EngineersDay celebrated in honor of Shri Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya, whose Jayanti it is today. And Google Doodle today in his honor. One of the builders of modern India, an engineering genius, and one of the greatest Indians of modern era.
Mokshagundam Visweswarayya, founder of the modern Mysore State. Every where you go in that region, you can find his legacy, be it the mighty Krishna Raja Sagar Dam or institutions like State Bank of Mysore or the Bhadravati Steel Factory.
Vishwesarayya was born in Mudenahalli, now located in Chikballapur district on Sept 15,1861 to Srinivasa Sastry and Venkachamma. His father was a well known Sanskrit scholar, from whom he learnt to respect the culture and traditions of Bharat.
Today is the anniversary of the start of Operation Polo, an act that ensured Hyderabad would not end up as another Kashmir in India.The police action that integrated Hyderabad with India, bought an end to the Nizam's rule started on this date in 1948.
The Nizam of Hyderabad then the world's richest man, had refused to sign the Instrument of Accession in 1948. The Nizam's original idea, was for Hyderabad State to be an independent constitutional monarchy within the Commonwealth.
Mountbatten advised Sardar Patel initially to resolve the issue of Hyderabad, without resorting to force, and through negotiations. K.M.Munshi led the negotiations from Indian side, while the Nizam was represented by his Prime Minister Laik Ali and Sir Walter Monkton.
Today is the anniversary of the Battle of Saragarhi, one of the greatest last man standing actions in military history, when 21 Sikhs held of 10,000 Afghans against all odds, going down to the last man. A tale of sacrifice, honor and courage. #LestWeForget
To understand the significance of Saragarhi, one needs to take a look at the backdrop. The Afridi tribe had a deal with the British to protect the strategically important Khyber Pass for 16 years, who in turn created a local regiment composed of the Afridis entirely.
However the Afridi tribesmen, turned against the British, and began to capture all the outposts in the Khyber, espeically on the Samana Range near Peshawar. Saragarhi was one of the posts, here, manned by the Sikhs. The British started the Tirah campaing in response.